3 Ways to Maintain Credit During the Holiday Season

With the holiday season here, Ebony Cochran of Blackwood Credit Services and the newly developed brand, “The Debt Survivor”, wants to educate on how to develop and maintain a strong credit score with simple tips. Cochran, who’s experienced a 486-credit score, now and 837, wants to provide information to guide you into financial success during the holiday season. Rather than blowing cash without a plan, Cochran has the method on how to stay financially secure, effectively.

With a plan in place, Cochran believes that “the holiday takes a toll on our pockets, but if you practice proper preparation, you’ll be golden”. Due to the festive Halloween season, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas and finally the New Year, Cochran wants to provide these three tips on how to navigate smarter buying options that your credit will thank you for later:

1. Don’t let the holiday season compromise your budget

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A budget is simply just telling your money where to go and should not be a terrifying event. Budgets are made to be stuck to regardless of the occasion. They can still be used during the holiday if you simply add your planned trips into your budget. Also, try to utilize coupons, reward programs and price match to make sure you get the best deals.

2. Prepare for the holidays in advance

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Most people do not realize that the holidays come around at the same time every year. With knowing that, you can prepare so that your wallet does not take a major hit. Some ways can include shopping outside of the season, purchasing gift cards throughout the year to use during the holiday season or opening a holiday account and automate savings to it.

3. Monitor your credit reports closely for holiday hackers

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Around the holidays hackers set their sights on overwhelmed shoppers. The ones that are moving so fast that they did not feel the hacker bump into their purse to clone their cards. The one that never saw the device attached to the gas station credit card reader that now has the information embedded on their card strip. And let’s not forget the one that leaves their purse in the shopping cart and walks away. One of the best ways to know if someone has your information is to closely monitor your credit. A credit monitoring service that alerts you in real time can alert you that someone is using your name to apply for new accounts.

The Debt Survivor is an educational brand that was developed by Cochran to educate and teach the average consumer about finances and how to maintain their financial stability. Cochran found that credit and finances is something that we learn about after we have already ruined them. Credit was something that she ruined at an early age and only repaired it because she later discovered how beneficial it was. Cochran has now committed herself to assisting others on their journey to having a credit score that they can be proud of.